PTSD Linked to Sexual Problems in Midlife Women

Jan 16, 2018

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a history of personal violence is linked to menopause-related sexual dysfunction in midlife women, according to recent research.

While these factors do affect younger women, less was known about the effects on middle-aged and older women, the authors explained.

They examined data from 2,016 women between the ages of 40 and 80 (average age 61 years) from a variety of ethnic groups who were participants in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California healthcare system. The women filled out questionnaires related to PTSD, interpersonal violence, menopause symptoms, and sexual dysfunction.

Twenty-two percent of the women had “clinically significant” symptoms of PTSD. Sixteen percent and 21% had been victims of physical and emotional intimate partner violence, respectively. Nineteen percent had been sexually assaulted.